When you refinance a lien on an investment property you can refinance 75% of the "After Repair Value" or the amount of the loan + closing costs...whichever is the lower amount essentially.

(lived in part, rented part)Suppose a sale of 1.5million.I am in the 28% tax bracket.Is it true that;I will pay 1.425% NY State Tax ($21,375)I will pay 0.4% NY City Tax ($6,000)I will pay Real Estate Agent Fee (suppose at 5%, $75,000)Will the sale essentially be divided up into a 'personal residence' sale and an 'investment property' sale?

On the other end of the scale, C/D areas are 100% CF plays, since your exit strategies are essentially limited to other investors (who will always want to pay below-market) and those areas have almost no appreciation potential, but the increased vacancy, deferred maintenance, and Section 8 red tape mean the actual CF in those areas isn't anything like what you see on paper. 

If I enable Free Check Writing, does that essentially mean when I am ready to buy a property, I will write a "check" on behalf of the 401k to pay for the property?

I have purchased the essentials course and I am finding it very helpful.  

@Josh Cuthbertson,Essentially it's the homes listed here: http://www.caprecut.com/floorplans -- from what I understand, they cut the wood, and the drywall, and the flooring.

Roaches are a very tough thing to tackle and it will take a lot of work on the part of the resident (however it is essential).  

The longer window is basically a safety net with sale being the exit criteria.

Essentially, the benefit of the LLC is for the extra layer of liability protection; however, if you have properties under your personal name, there are insurance companies out there that would extend an umbrella policy to those rental policies up to as 5 million.

You should weigh the safety of your family by using such a person, most handymen I have encountered know how to get things working, not necessarily how to do them correctly.